About Aioli

If you love garlic, you'll really love aioli. A relatively ancient sauce, it is mayonnaise-like, based upon an emulsion of garlic, salt and olive oil. Less ancient versions add a dab of mustard or an egg yolk, or some lemon juice. The mustard or egg yolk will help with forming the emulsion; the lemon juice just tastes good. A purist will tell you that it must be made with a mortar and pestle, garlic, salt and olive oil, and a lot of elbow grease, but blenders and food processors have given you a choice over how sore you want your arm to be. However you make your aioli, it is a marvelous sauce for anything savory, from fish to crudités to french fries.

History

Olive oil has been used in cooking for thousands of years, and so has salt. Every continent has its own form of wild garlic that has been used as a seasoning vegetable for thousands of years. It was inevitable that the three ingredients would be brought together. This happened in the area of Provence, in southern France. The word itself, aioli, comes from the Provençal words for garlic and oil. It is also a popular dish in areas around Provence, particularly the Catalan region of Spain, where it is known as allioli ("garlic and oil").

Types

The original aioli was made from garlic, salt and olive oil. That is still done today, however it is also made with the addition of raw egg yolk or mustard, or both. The mustard or yolks will aid in the formation of the emulsion, a delicate and time-consuming activity. Many modern recipes also include lemon juice, which makes it more mayonnaise-like and adds acidity to the flavor profile. These days, all of these are generally considered to be proper aioli. Incidentally, these ingredients take you closer to a mayonnaise type of sauce, but aioli is not just a garlic-flavored mayonnaise. It is its own separate thing.

Misconceptions

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending upon your point of view, there are many sauces made these days called aioli. As long as it has garlic and olive oil, some people feel you can add anything and it will still be aioli. Thus, we find roasted red pepper aoili, green olive aoili, chipotle aioli and fines herbes aioli, variations from all over the map. These are not considered proper aioli. In fact, a traditional sauce that is very similar in ingredients and origins is known as rouille. Basically, rouille is aioli with the addition of bread crumbs, saffron and chile peppers. However we choose to fancy up our aioli, we should follow the Provencal example and give it another name. Also, aioli is not mayonnaise with garlic added. Garlic is the physical foundation of aioli, not just a flavoring added in at the last minute.

Warning

There are traditional warnings about making aioli at certain times. The most notable is during a thunderstorm, or when a thunderstorm is expected. "They" say that the emulsion won't form because of the ionized air. Another warning is that a woman shouldn't make aioli while she is menstruating; that one can safely be labeled as a myth. An additional warning is not to call aioli "garlic flavored mayonnaise" in the presence of a real aioli fan. You're liable to get hit over the head with a mortar and pestle.

Prevention/Solution

Aioli is even more difficult to emulsify than mayonnaise, especially if you choose not to add egg yolk or mustard. You must add the oil slowly, drop by drop, especially at the start. You can increase the stream slightly once the emulsion is formed, but keep it slow. This can't be emphasized enough. If your aioli "breaks" (the oil separates while you are mixing it), take a quarter-cup of your broken sauce and add 2 tbsp. of water (or one egg yolk). Combine thoroughly. Now, start adding your broken aioli very slowly to the new mix. When you finish, you should have a beautifully emulsified aioli.

Resources

• Recipe for Blender Aioli
• Lesson from an Aioli Purist
• Ready-made French Aioli Sauce